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Patent 2911588 Summary

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(12) Patent: (11) CA 2911588
(54) English Title: ILLUMINATION DEVICE
(54) French Title: DISPOSITIF D'ECLAIRAGE
Status: Expired and beyond the Period of Reversal
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • F21V 8/00 (2006.01)
  • F21K 9/60 (2016.01)
  • G2B 6/10 (2006.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • KINOSHITA, SEIJI (Japan)
(73) Owners :
  • KURARAY CO., LTD.
(71) Applicants :
  • KURARAY CO., LTD. (Japan)
(74) Agent: KIRBY EADES GALE BAKER
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued: 2017-10-24
(86) PCT Filing Date: 2014-05-09
(87) Open to Public Inspection: 2014-11-13
Examination requested: 2015-11-06
Availability of licence: N/A
Dedicated to the Public: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): Yes
(86) PCT Filing Number: PCT/JP2014/062467
(87) International Publication Number: JP2014062467
(85) National Entry: 2015-11-06

(30) Application Priority Data:
Application No. Country/Territory Date
2013-100025 (Japan) 2013-05-10

Abstracts

English Abstract


The illumination device of the edge light type includes a light emitting unit
provided at one side surface of a light guide plate. The light guide plate has
a plurality of
recesses having a V-shaped cross-section and provided on a bottom surface in
parallel to
an X-axis direction at a predetermined pitch and a plurality of protrusions
having a
lenticular lens shape in the cross-sectional view and provided in parallel to
a Y-axis
direction at a prearranged pitch. A vertex angle of each of the recesses is
defined to
reflect the light incident into the light guide plate through an incident end
surface by an
inclined surface on the recesses of the bottom surface such that emission
light emitted
from an emission surface has a maximum luminous intensity at an angle between
25
degree to 65 degree with respect to the Z-axis direction.


French Abstract

L'invention concerne un dispositif d'éclairage de type lumière latérale qui possède une distribution d'intensité lumineuse anisotrope et qui peut émettre de la lumière avec une grande intensité lumineuse. L'invention concerne un dispositif d'éclairage de type lumière latérale (1) comprenant une unité d'émission de lumière (3) sur un côté d'une surface latérale d'une plaque de guidage de lumière (2). La plaque de guidage de lumière (2) comprend plusieurs renfoncements dont la section est en forme de V (6) et qui sont parallèles à la direction de l'axe X et formés selon un pas prédéterminé dans la surface inférieure (2b) de celle-ci, ainsi que plusieurs protubérances dont la section est en forme de lentilles lenticulaires (7) et qui sont parallèles à la direction de l'axe Y et formées selon un pas prédéterminé dans une surface émettrice (2c) de celle-ci. La lumière incidente sur l'intérieur de la plaque de guidage de lumière (2) depuis la surface d'extrémité incidente (2a) de celle-ci est réfléchie par les surfaces inclinées des renfoncements dont la section est en forme de V (6) de la surface inférieure (2b), et les angles des sommets des renfoncements (6) sont tels que l'intensité lumineuse de la lumière émise depuis la surface d'émission (2c) est maximisée dans une plage de 25-65° pour un angle par rapport à la direction de l'axe Z.

Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


19
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. An illumination device of an edge light type, comprising:
a primary light source provided at one side surface of a light guide plate,
the
light guide plate including an emission surface, a bottom surface facing the
emission
surface, and an incident end surface configured to receive light emitted from
the
primary light source, wherein
the primary light source is disposed in parallel to an X-axis,
the light guide plate is disposed in parallel to an X-Y plane,
the incident end surface of the light guide plate is aligned in parallel to a
Y-Z
plane,
the light guide plate includes a plurality of recess patterns provided on the
bottom surface in parallel to the X-axis direction at a predetermined pitch
and a
plurality of protrusion patterns provided on the emission surface in parallel
to the Y-
axis direction at a prearranged pitch, and
each of the recess patterns is defined to reflect the light incident into the
light
guide plate through the incident end surface by an inclined surface on the
recess
patterns of the bottom surface such that emission light emitted from the
emission
surface has a maximum luminous intensity at an angle between 25 degrees to 65
degrees with respect to a Z-axis direction, wherein each of the recess
patterns
provided on the bottom surface of the light guide plate has a V-shaped cross-
section or
substantially V-shaped cross-section of which a vertex angle is 120 degrees to
165
degrees.

20
2. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein each of the
protrusion
patterns provided on the emission surface of the light guide plate has a
lenticular lens
shape, a trapezoid shape, or a parabolic curve shape in cross-section.
3. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein
the bottom surface of the light guide plate includes a reflection sheet that
is
configured to reflect light, and
the emission surface of the light guide plate includes a diffusion sheet that
is
configured to uniformly diffuse light.
4. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface
of
the light guide plate includes a reflection sheet that is configured to
reflect light.

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


CA 02911588 2015-12-02
1
ILLUMINATION DEVICE
FIELD
[0001]
The present invention relates to an edge light type illumination device that
causes
light emitted from a primary light source such as an LED disposed on one side
surface of a
light guide plate to be incident into the light guide plate and causes the
light to be emitted
from one primary surface (an emission surface) of the light guide plate, and
particularly, to
an edge light type illumination device suitable for an lighting fixture or an
exhibition
lighting fixture attached to a ceiling surface or a wall surface of an office
or a dwelling
house.
BACKGROUND
[0002]
An edge light type backlight unit is mainly used in a liquid crystal display
in a
LCD TV or a PC. In the edge light type backlight unit, light emitted from a
primary light
source (an LED) disposed on at least one side surface of a light guide plate
is incident into
the light guide plate and is emitted from one entire primary surface (an
emission surface) of
the light guide plate so that the light is emitted as plane light.
[0003]
For this reason, since the edge light type backlight unit is easily provided
in a thin
and light state, the edge light type backlight unit is applied to an lighting
fixture attached to
a ceiling surface of an office or a dwelling house (for example, Patent
Literature 1,
JPH03-81907A).

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
2
[0004]
Particularly, an LED can improve lighting efficiency, decrease cost, and make
an
atmosphere according to a living pattern using the illumination function of
the LED. Hence,
a lighting fixture using an LED as a light source is widely distributed (for
example, Patent
Literature 2, JP2013-30279 A).
[0005]
For a plane light source device used in a liquid crystal display, it is
important to
keep the uniform brightness in the light emitting surface. However, for the
illumination
device, it is important to keep the illuminance uniformity on the target
illumination surface.
Therefore, the technique used in the plane light source cannot be directly
applied to the
illumination device. Accordingly, the illumination device needs to be designed
in a
design different from the plane light source device.
SUMMARY
[0006]
When the edge light type illumination device of Patent Literatures 1 or 2 is
used
as the lighting fixture attached to the ceiling surface of the office or the
dwelling house, the
light device emits plane light from the primary surface (the emission surface)
of, for
example, the square light guide plate so as to uniformly illuminate a place
directly below
and its vicinity of the illumination device.
[0007]
Incidentally, in the edge light type illumination device of Patent Literatures
1 or 2,
the plane light emitted from the primary surface (the emission surface) of the
light guide
plate is widely adjusted in an isotropic state. Accordingly, it is not
possible to handle a

CA 2911588 2017-03-29
3
case in which an anisotropic luminous intensity distribution needs to be set
in accordance with
the illumination application. For example, in a department store, merchandizes
such as shoes
or bags are arranged in stepwise in the height direction. In order to
illuminate these articles to
get attention over other articles, it is desirable to obliquely illuminate the
merchandizes. For
this reason, a plurality of spotlights is used. However, to use the plurality
of spotlights, a
distance between shelves needs to be widely ensured, thus the number of
displayed
merchandizes is limited.
[0008]
Further, a modification to brightly illuminate the wall surface with the
illumination
device has been examined in order to brightly illuminate a space of the office
or the dwelling
house. The illumination device also uses a spotlight which is attached to a
ceiling so as to
protrude therefrom or is buried therein, but there is a demerit that the
appearance is poor and
the installation cost increases.
[0009]
An object of certain embodiments is, therefore, to provide a thin and light
edge light
type illumination device that has an anisotropic luminous intensity
distribution of light
emitted from an illumination device and is able to emit light with high
luminous intensity.
Solution to Problem
[0010]
In order to achieve the above object, an aspect of the illumination device
according to
embodiments includes a primary light source provided at one side surface of a
light guide
plate, and the light guide plate includes an emission surface, a bottom
surface facing the
emission surface, and an incident end surface configured to receive light
emitted from the

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4
primary light source. The primary light source is disposed in parallel to an X-
axis, the light
guide plate is disposed in parallel to an X-Y plane, and the incident end
surface of the light
guide plate is aligned in parallel to a Y-Z plane. The light guide plate
includes a plurality of
recess patterns provided on the bottom surface in parallel to the X-axis
direction at a
predetermined pitch and a plurality of protrusion patterns provided on the
emission surface in
parallel to the Y-axis direction at a prearranged pitch. Each of the recess
patterns is defined to
reflect the light incident into the light guide plate through the incident end
surface by an
inclined surface on the recess patterns of the bottom surface such that
emission light emitted
from the emission surface has a maximum luminous intensity at an angle between
25 degree
to 65 degree with respect to a Z-axis direction.
[0010a]
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide an illumination device of an edge
light
type, comprising: a primary light source provided at one side surface of a
light guide plate, the
light guide plate including an emission surface, a bottom surface facing the
emission surface,
and an incident end surface configured to receive light emitted from the
primary light source,
wherein the primary light source is disposed in parallel to an X-axis, the
light guide plate is
disposed in parallel to an X-Y plane, the incident end surface of the light
guide plate is
aligned in parallel to a Y-Z plane, the light guide plate includes a plurality
of recess patterns
provided on the bottom surface in parallel to the X-axis direction at a
predetermined pitch and
a plurality of protrusion patterns provided on the emission surface in
parallel to the Y-axis
direction at a prearranged pitch, and each of the recess patterns is defined
to reflect the light
incident into the light guide plate through the incident end surface by an
inclined surface on
the recess patterns of the bottom surface such that emission light emitted
from the emission

CA 2911588 2017-03-29
4a
surface has a maximum luminous intensity at an angle between 25 degrees to 65
degrees with
respect to a Z-axis direction, wherein each of the recess patterns provided on
the bottom
surface of the light guide plate has a V-shaped cross-section or substantially
V-shaped cross-
section of which a vertex angle is 120 degrees to 165 degrees.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an edge light type
illumination
device according to an embodiment of the preset invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view illustrating a short side of a light guide
plate of the
illumination device according to the embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a measurement result of a luminous intensity
distribution of light emitted from an emission surface of the light guide
plate when a vertex
angle of a V-shaped recess provided on a bottom surface of the light guide
plate of the
illumination device according to the embodiment is changed;
FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a bottom surface of the light guide plate of
the
illumination device according to the embodiment;
FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. SA;

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a side surface of the illumination device
according to the embodiment;
FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a measurement result of luminous intensity
distribution of light emitted from an emission surface of the light guide
plate;
5 FIG. 7
is a diagram showing a measurement result of a luminous intensity
distribution light emitted from an emission surface of a light guide plate
according to
variations of the embodiment;
FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating a shape of a recess provided in a bottom
surface
of a light guide plate according to a first variation of the embodiment;
FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating a shape of a recess provided in a bottom
surface
of a light guide plate according to a second variation of the embodiment; and
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a measurement result of a luminous intensity
distribution measurement result of light emitted from an emission surface of a
light guide
plate according to a second variation of the embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012]
FIG. I is an exploded perspective view illustrating an edge light type
illumination
device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a
cross-sectional
view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1. In an edge light type illumination
device 1
according to the embodiment, the normal line of the X-Y plane including the X
axis and the
Y axis orthogonal to the X axis is set as the Z axis, and the Z-axis direction
is set as a light
emitting direction.

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6
[0013]
As illustrated in FIGs. 1 and 2, the edge light type illumination device
(hereinafter,
simply referred to as a "illumination device") 1 according to the embodiment
mainly
includes a rectangular light guide plate 2 which is a transparent structure
formed of
transparent resin (for example, acrylic resin) or the like, a light emitting
unit 3 disposed at
one side surface (hereinafter, referred to as an "incident end surface") 2a of
the light guide
plate 2 in the left and right direction (the Y-axis direction), a reflection
sheet 4 disposed on
a rear surface (hereinafter, referred to as a "bottom surface") 2b of the
light guide plate 2,
and a diffusion sheet 5 provided on a front surface (hereinafter, referred to
as an "emission
surface") 2c of the light guide plate 2.
[0014]
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the light guide plate 2 of the illumination device 1
is
provided so that the long side is aligned in the X-axis direction and the
light emitting unit 3
is disposed along one long side (in the X-axis direction). In addition, when
the
illumination device 1 is installed on a ceiling surface of an office or a
dwelling house, the
reflection sheet 4 is located on the ceiling surface, and anisotropic light to
be described
later is emitted obliquely downward from the emission surface 2c (the
diffusion sheet 5).
[0015]
The bottom surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 includes a plurality of
recesses 6
provided at a predetermined pitch so as to extend in the X-axis direction (the
long side
direction). Further, the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2
includes a plurality
of protrusion patterns 7 provided at a prearranged pitch so as to extend in
the Y-axis
direction (the short side direction). Note that the light guide plate 2 will
be described in
detail later.

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
7
[0016]
The light emitting unit 3 as a primary light source is disposed on the
incident end
surface 2a of the light guide plate 2 in the X-axis direction. Inside the
light emitting unit
3, a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) 8 as light sources is linearly
disposed at a
predetermined interval in the X-axis direction of the light guide plate 2. The
arrangement
interval of the LEDs 8 is, for example, about several mm to 20 mm.
[0017]
The light emitted from the LEDs (the light sources) of the light emitting unit
3
enters into the light guide plate 2 in the Y-axis direction from the incident
end surface 2a of
the light guide plate 2.
[0018]
The reflection sheet 4 is provided such that the light emitted outward from
the
incident end surface 2a through the bottom surface 2b of the light guide plate
2 is returned
to the light guide plate 2. It is desirable to use the reflection sheet 4
having a high light
utilization efficiency, i.e., having reflectivity of 95% or more. The material
of the
reflection sheet 4 may be a metal foil, e.g., aluminum, silver, or stainless
steel; a white
coating; or foam PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin.
[0019]
The diffusion sheet 5 provided on the emission surface 2c that is the front
surface
of the light guide plate 2 appropriately uniform the light emitted from the
emission surface
2c of the light guide plate 2 so as to suppress non-uniform brightness. That
is, the
diffusion sheet 5 has a function of improving an appearance.

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8
[0020]
For the illumination device attached on a ceiling surface of an office or a
dwelling
house, the light emitting surface of the illumination device is visible. That
is, the
appearance thereof is very important. For this reason, plural diffusion sheets
5 may be
used. The diffusion sheet 5 may be a plate-shaped material (for example, PMMA,
PC, or
the like) formed of resin having a diffusing property or may be a protection
cover obtained
by thermo-forming these plates in a three-dimensional shape.
[0021]
Note that, the diffusion sheet 5 is not necessarily provided on the emission
surface
2c of the light guide plate 2. The diffusion sheet 5 may not be provided
depending on the
installation place or the application of the illumination device I.
[0022]
(Configuration of Light Guide Plate 2)
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the bottom surface 2b of the light guide plate 2
includes
the recesses 6 provided at the predetermined pitch. Each recess 6 is provided
to have a
V-shape (V-groove-shape) in the cross-sectional view, and extends in the X-
axis direction.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, in the embodiment, the vertex angles (0) of the
recesses 6 having
the V-shaped in the cross-section are set in the range of 120 degree to 165
degree. Further,
the height (the depth) of the recesses 6 are set in the range of about 0.001
to 0.1 mm and
desirably in the range of 0.003 to 0.02 mm.
[0023]
In the illumination device 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, most of the light emitted
from
the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2 among the light incident
from the incident
end surface 2a of the light guide plate 2 is the light entirely reflected by
the inclined

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
9
surface of the V-shaped recesses 6 provided on the bottom surface 2b of the
light guide
plate 2 and emitted at a predetermined emission angle (in the embodiment, an
emission
angle of about +25 degree to +65 degree while the front surface direction (the
Z-axis
direction) of the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2 is set as the
emission angle
of 0 degree as will be described later) with respect to the normal direction
of the emission
surface 2c.
[0024]
Further, in the embodiment, the emission surface 2e of the light guide plate 2
includes the protrusions 7 provided at the prearranged pitch so as to have a
lenticular lens
shape in the cross-sectional view and to extend in the Y-axis direction. The
protrusions 7
of the emission surface 2c have a function of causing the light emitted at a
predetermined
emission angle (in the embodiment, an emission angle of about +25 degree to
+65 degree
while the front surface direction (the Z-axis direction) of the emission
surface 2c of the
light guide plate 2 is set as the emission angle of 0 degree as will be
described later) with
respect to the normal direction of the emission surface 2c to be transmitted
therethrough.
Further, the light incident to the protrusions 7 at a different emission angle
from the
recesses 6 on the bottom surface 2b is entirely reflected by the protrusions
7, and the light
is returned to the light guide plate 2.
[0025]
As described above, it is possible to improve the luminous intensity of the
light
emitted from the emission surface 2c by providing the protrusions 7 having the
lenticular
lens shape in the cross-section on the emission surface 2c of the light guide
plate 2.

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
[0026]
Note that, although the protrusions 7 of the embodiment provided on the
emission
surface 2c of the light guide plate 2 have the lenticular lens shape in the
cross-section, the
protrusions 7 may have a trapezoid shape or a parabolic curve shape in the
cross-section.
5 Alternatively, the protrusions 7 may have a curve defined by the
following Equation (1).
Cx2
y= + Dx4+ Ex8 + Fx8 + Gxl Mx20 (1)
1+4 1- (K+1 )C2 X1
[0027]
The Equation (1) is a general equation that does not limit the parameters C to
M,
and at least one of the parameters C to M is not 0. Particularly, K in
Equation (1) is
10 desirably -1.
[0028]
FIG. 4 shows a measurement result of a luminous intensity distribution of the
light emitted from the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2 when the
aspect ratio
of the protrusions 7, which have the lenticular lens shape and are provided on
the emission
surface 2c of the light guide plate 2 of the illumination device 1 illustrated
in FIG. 1, is set
to 20% and the vertex angle (0) of the V-shaped recesses 6 provided on the
bottom surface
2b of the light guide plate 2 is changed (between 110 degree to 170 degree).
[0029]
The aspect ratio is defined as r/2R (%) when the radius of the circle tracing
the
vertical section of the lenticular lens is indicated by R and the distance
from the vertex of
the circular-arc forming the lenticular lens to the string is indicated by r.
Note that, in this

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
11
measurement, the reflection sheet 4 of the illumination device 1 is located
near the ceiling
surface, and the diffusion sheet 5 of the emission surface 2c is removed
therefrom.
[030]
As illustrated in FIGs. 5A and 5B, the measurement result of the luminous
intensity distribution shown in FIG. 4 is obtained when the front surface
direction (the
Z-axis direction) of the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2 is set
as the emission
angle of 0 degree, a position on the Z-Y plane opposite to the light emitting
unit 3 in the
Y-axis direction is set as +90 degree, and a position on the Z-Y plane near
the light
emitting unit 3 in the Y-axis direction is set as -90 degree. Note that, FIG.
5B is a
cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 5A. In FIG. 5B, the
direction
indicated by the arrow A corresponds to the light emitting direction (the
oblique downward
direction opposite to the light emitting unit 3) from the emission surface 2c
of the
embodiment.
[0031]
In FIG. 4, "a" shows the luminous intensity distribution when the vertex angle
(0)
of the recesses 6 is 110 degree, "b" shows the luminous intensity distribution
when the
vertex angle (0) of the recesses 6 is 120 degree, "c" shows the luminous
intensity
distribution when the vertex angle (0) of the recesses 6 is 130 degree, "d"
shows the
luminous intensity distribution when the vertex angle (0) of the recesses 6 is
140 degree,
"e" shows the luminous intensity distribution when the vertex angle (0) of the
recesses 6 is
150 degree, "f" shows the luminous intensity distribution when the vertex
angle (0) of the
recesses 6 is 160 degree, and "g" shows the luminous intensity distribution
when the vertex
angle (0) of the recesses 6 is 170 degree. Here, the maximum luminous
intensity value
with the vertex angle (0) of the recesses 6 at 110 degree is defined as the
standard value.

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
12
[0032]
As clearly shown in the measurement result of FIG. 4, the anisotropic property
of
the emitting light is relatively small when the vertex angle (0) of the V-
shaped recesses 6
provided on the bottom surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 is 110 degree
("a" in FIG. 4)
since the light emitted from the emission surface 2c has maximum luminous
intensity at the
emission angle of +20 degree with respect to the Z-axis direction.
[0033]
Further, when the vertex angle (0) of the V-shaped recesses 6 is 170 degree
("g"
in FIG. 4), the maximum luminous intensity is obtained when the emission angle
with
respect to the Z-axis direction is about +65 degree to +70 degree.
Accordingly, the
anisotropic property of the emitting light is very high, but the maximum
luminous intensity
ratio of the light emitted from the emission surface 2c is low so as to be
about 0.73.
Further, a part of the light is also emitted to the incident end surface 2a of
the emission
surface 2c, so that the luminous intensity increases. In this way, since the
anisotropic
luminous intensity distribution is obtained in two directions with respect to
the Z-axis
direction, the luminous intensity in each direction decreases.
[0034]
On the contrary, when the vertex angle (0) of the V-shaped recesses 6 is set
between 120 degree to 160 degree ("b" to "f" in FIG. 4), the emission angle of
the
maximum luminous intensity with respect to the Z-axis direction is about +30
degree to
+55 degree, and the maximum luminous intensity ratio of the light emitted from
the
emission surface 2c is about 0.92 to 0.97.

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
13
[0035]
That is, since the vertex angle (A) of the V-shaped recesses 6 provided on the
bottom surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 is set between 120 degree to 160
degree, it is
possible to emit the light having an anisotropic luminous intensity
distribution and high
luminous intensity from the emission surface 2e (the protrusions 7).
[0036]
Then, the measurement result illustrated in FIG. 6B is obtained when the
luminous intensity distribution of the light emitted from the emission surface
2c of the light
guide plate 2 in a direction indicated by the arrow A (the oblique downward
direction
opposite to the light emitting unit 3) is measured in the illumination device
I (see FIG. 1)
of the embodiment in which the diffusion sheet 5 is disposed on the emission
surface 2c of
the light guide plate 2 as illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0037]
Note that, in the measurement of the luminous intensity distribution, the
vertex
angle (A) of the V-shaped recesses 6 provided on the bottom surface 2b of the
light guide
plate 2 is set to 130 degree, and the aspect ratio of the protrusions 7 having
the lenticular
lens shape and provided on the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2
is set to 20%.
[0038]
In the measurement result of the luminous intensity distribution shown in FIG.
6B,
the front surface direction (the Z-axis direction) of the emission surface 2c
of the light
guide plate 2 is set as the emission angle 0 degree, a position on the Z-Y
plane opposite to
the light emitting unit 3 in the Y-axis direction is set as +90 degree, and a
position on the
Z-Y plane near the light emitting unit 3 in the Y-axis direction is set as -90
degree, as
illustrated in FIG. 6A.

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14
[0039]
As clearly shown in the measurement result of FIG. 6B, it is possible to
smoothly
adjust the range of the anisotropic luminous intensity distribution by
diffusing the light
emitted from the emission surface 2c with the diffusion sheet 5 disposed on
the emission
surface 2c of the light guide plate 2.
First Variation of Embodiment
[0040]
FIG. 7 shows a measurement result of a luminous intensity distribution when
the
protrusions 7 disposed on the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2
have a curved
surface pattern in which the parameters of the equation 1 are defined in Table
1 and the
recesses 6 provided on the bottom surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 have a
multi-stage
V-shaped grooves having a plurality of inclined surfaces with different
inclination angles.
Table 1
K -1
C 47.31523
4-th D -29846
6-th E 362207392
8-th F -2276608932701
10-th G 8967392099183360
12-th H -22138674875790700000
14-th 3.4149338436526X 1022
16-th -3.18652196429692x 1025
18-th L 1.64310378517547 x 1026
20-th M -3.5868000886891 x 10

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
[0041]
Similarly to FIG. 4, in the measurement result of the luminous intensity
distribution of FIG. 7, the aspect ratio of the protrusions 7 having the
lenticular lens shape
and provided on the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2 is set to
20% for the
5 illumination device 1 illustrated in FIG. 1; and the maximum luminous
intensity with the
vertex angle (0) of the V-shaped recesses 6 provided on the bottom surface 2b
of the light
guide plate 2 is defined as the standard value.
[0042]
As shown in FIG. 8A, the recesses 6 provided on the bottom surface 2b are
10 multi-stage V-shaped grooves having six kinds of inclined surfaces in
which an angle Ri
formed between each inclined surface of the recesses 6 and the bottom surface
2b, and
steps Hi ("i" indicates the stage number of the multi-stage V-shaped grooves)
are set as
shown in Table 2. Note that, although the recesses 6 of the first variation
include a
plurality of inclined surfaces having a single inclination angle, the recesses
6 may have a
15 curved surface pattern connecting the vertexes with a smooth curve.
Table 2
R6 17.5 H6 1.94
R5 19 H5 2.10
R4 20.5 H4 2.26
R3 22 H3 2.42
R2 23.5 H2 2.56
R1 25 H1 2.72
(unit ) (unit:pm)
[0043]
In the measurement result of the luminous intensity distribution, when nothing
is
placed on the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2, the maximum
luminous

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
16
intensity is obtained when the emission angle with respect to the Z-axis
direction is about
+40 degree, and the anisotropic property of the emitting light is very high.
[0044]
When the anisotropic property is high as in this luminous intensity
distribution
pattern and the light guide plate 2 employing the luminous intensity
distribution pattern is
assembled in the illumination device so as to install the illumination device
in a bottom of a
merchandize display shelf in a department store or the like, the emission
angle of the
maximum luminous intensity becomes about +40 degree. As a result, a specific
range near
a merchandize disposed at the oblique lower side with respect to the front
surface direction
of the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2 can be intensively
illuminated.
Accordingly, the article can be illuminated to get attention over other
articles.
Second Variation of Embodiment
[0045]
FIG. 9 shows a measurement result of a luminous intensity distribution when
the
protrusions 7 disposed on the emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2
have a curved
surface pattern in which the parameters of the equation 1 are defined in Table
1 and the
recesses 6 provided on the bottom surface 2b of the light guide plate 2 have a
substantially
V-shaped curved surface pattern in which nodal points (Ai and Bi) of the
recesses 6
smoothly pass through the points defined by Table 3 as in FIG. 8B. The
measurement
result of the luminous intensity distribution shown in FIG. 9 is also
standardized in the
same manner as FIGs. 4 and 7.

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
17
Table 3
A7 0.00 B7 7.00
A6 2.40 86 5.93
A5 4.79 85 4.82
A4 7.15 B4 3.66
A3 9.50 B3 2.47
A2 11.82 B2 1.24
Al 14.14 B1 0.00
(Unit:pm)
[0046]
In the measurement result of the luminous intensity distribution shown in FIG.
9,
when nothing is placed on the emission surface 2e of the light guide plate 2,
the maximum
luminous intensity is obtained when the emission angle with respect to the Z-
axis direction
is about +25 degree.
[0047]
When the light guide plate 2 employing the luminous intensity distribution
pattern
is assembled in the illumination device and the illumination device is
installed in a ceiling
of an office or a dwelling house so as to be served as a wall surface light,
the emission
angle of the maximum luminous intensity is about +25 degree. As a result, the
entire wall
surface (from a boundary between the ceiling and the wall surface to a
boundary between
the wall surface and the floor surface) can be illuminated.
[0048]
As described above, the anisotropic property of the light emitted from the
emission surface 2c of the light guide plate 2 (or the diffusion sheet 5) can
be changed by
the combination of the protrusions 7 disposed on the emission surface 2c of
the light guide
plate 2 and the recesses 6 provided on the bottom surface 2b. Therefore, the
light guide

CA 02911588 2015-12-02
18
plate 2 should be selectively assembled in accordance with the application of
the
illumination device.
[0049]
Further, since the illumination device 1 is of the edge light type in which
the light
emitting unit 3 is provided only in one side surface (the incident end surface
2a) of the light
guide plate 2, the illumination device can be decreased in thickness and
weight as a whole.

Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

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Event History

Description Date
Time Limit for Reversal Expired 2022-03-01
Letter Sent 2021-05-10
Letter Sent 2021-03-01
Letter Sent 2020-08-31
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-08-19
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-08-06
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-07-16
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-07-02
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-06-10
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-05-28
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-05-14
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-04-28
Common Representative Appointed 2019-10-30
Common Representative Appointed 2019-10-30
Change of Address or Method of Correspondence Request Received 2018-01-09
Grant by Issuance 2017-10-24
Inactive: Cover page published 2017-10-23
Pre-grant 2017-09-08
Inactive: Final fee received 2017-09-08
Notice of Allowance is Issued 2017-07-17
Notice of Allowance is Issued 2017-07-17
4 2017-07-17
Letter Sent 2017-07-17
Inactive: Approved for allowance (AFA) 2017-07-12
Inactive: Q2 passed 2017-07-12
Amendment Received - Voluntary Amendment 2017-03-29
Inactive: Report - No QC 2016-10-20
Inactive: S.30(2) Rules - Examiner requisition 2016-10-20
Inactive: IPC assigned 2016-02-19
Inactive: IPC assigned 2016-02-19
Inactive: First IPC assigned 2016-02-19
Inactive: IPC assigned 2016-02-19
Inactive: IPC removed 2015-12-31
Amendment Received - Voluntary Amendment 2015-12-02
Letter Sent 2015-11-13
Inactive: Acknowledgment of national entry - RFE 2015-11-13
Inactive: First IPC assigned 2015-11-10
Inactive: IPC assigned 2015-11-10
Application Received - PCT 2015-11-10
All Requirements for Examination Determined Compliant 2015-11-06
Request for Examination Requirements Determined Compliant 2015-11-06
National Entry Requirements Determined Compliant 2015-11-06
Application Published (Open to Public Inspection) 2014-11-13

Abandonment History

There is no abandonment history.

Maintenance Fee

The last payment was received on 2017-03-21

Note : If the full payment has not been received on or before the date indicated, a further fee may be required which may be one of the following

  • the reinstatement fee;
  • the late payment fee; or
  • additional fee to reverse deemed expiry.

Patent fees are adjusted on the 1st of January every year. The amounts above are the current amounts if received by December 31 of the current year.
Please refer to the CIPO Patent Fees web page to see all current fee amounts.

Fee History

Fee Type Anniversary Year Due Date Paid Date
Request for examination - standard 2015-11-06
Basic national fee - standard 2015-11-06
MF (application, 2nd anniv.) - standard 02 2016-05-09 2016-04-13
MF (application, 3rd anniv.) - standard 03 2017-05-09 2017-03-21
Final fee - standard 2017-09-08
MF (patent, 4th anniv.) - standard 2018-05-09 2018-04-18
MF (patent, 5th anniv.) - standard 2019-05-09 2019-04-17
Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
KURARAY CO., LTD.
Past Owners on Record
SEIJI KINOSHITA
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
Documents

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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Representative drawing 2017-09-26 1 7
Cover Page 2017-09-26 1 41
Description 2015-11-05 18 635
Drawings 2015-11-05 6 109
Claims 2015-11-05 2 48
Representative drawing 2015-11-05 1 12
Abstract 2015-11-05 1 24
Claims 2015-12-01 2 51
Abstract 2015-12-01 1 20
Description 2015-12-01 18 622
Cover Page 2016-02-18 2 51
Description 2017-03-28 19 612
Claims 2017-03-28 2 46
Acknowledgement of Request for Examination 2015-11-12 1 175
Notice of National Entry 2015-11-12 1 201
Reminder of maintenance fee due 2016-01-11 1 111
Commissioner's Notice - Application Found Allowable 2017-07-16 1 161
Commissioner's Notice - Maintenance Fee for a Patent Not Paid 2020-10-18 1 548
Courtesy - Patent Term Deemed Expired 2021-03-28 1 540
Commissioner's Notice - Maintenance Fee for a Patent Not Paid 2021-06-20 1 553
National entry request 2015-11-05 3 80
Amendment - Abstract 2015-11-05 1 80
International search report 2015-11-05 2 74
Amendment / response to report 2015-12-01 23 742
Examiner Requisition 2016-10-19 3 202
Amendment / response to report 2017-03-28 7 233
Final fee 2017-09-07 1 28